Library of Congress Recommended Format Specifications: Encouraging Preservation Without Discouraging Creation

Library of Congress Recommended Format Specifications: Encouraging Preservation Without Discouraging Creation. Theron Westervelt. Library of Congress. D-Lib Magazine September/October 2014.
The Library of Congress has relied upon the specifications included in the Copyright regulation known as the 'Best Edition Statement', a hierarchy of preference between certain physical characteristics in creative works, and its digital format sustainability.
The Library has devised the Recommended Format Specifications to enable it to identify what formats will most easily lend themselves to preservation and long-term access, especially with regard to digital formats. This was also done to provide guidance to its staff in their work of acquiring content for its collection and to  share with other stakeholders that have a need and interest in preservation and access. To ensure ongoing accuracy and relevancy, the Library of Congress will be reviewing and revising the specifications on an annual basis and welcomes feedback and input from all interested parties.

The Recommended Format Specifications are not intended to answer all questions raised in preserving and providing long-term access to creative content. They are to provide guidance on identifying sets of formats which are not drawn so narrowly as to discourage creators from working within them, but will instead encourage creators to use them to produce works in formats which will make preserving them and making them accessible simpler. They also are to identify the characteristics of creative works which best enable them to last and to be accessible in the long-term.

Digital Preservation Matters.

The Twelve Principles of Digital Preservation (and a cartridge in a repository…)

The Twelve Principles of Digital Preservation (and a cartridge in a repository…). Christina Duffy. British Library, Collection Care blog. 03 September 2013.
Following the library's strategic priorities are Twelve Principles of Digital Preservation. These principles define at a very high level how the library will approach the preservation of digital collections:

We integrate curatorial assessments of our digital collection content into preservation decisions, so that technical activities support curatorial requirements for the collections

1. We preserve metadata about our digital collections, so that we may understand and preserve the collections over time
2. We preserve the provenance of our digital collection content, so that we understand and can demonstrate its authenticity over time
3. We record any modifications to digital collection content (e.g. preservation action, normalisation) during the lifecycle, so that we can understand and demonstrate its integrity over time
4. We consistently apply and document our application of metadata standards, so that future generations can understand our collections
5. We maintain file-level integrity of our digital collections, so that we can protect against loss and damage
6. We preserve original files in our long term repository, alongside any other required representations of the content, so that we maintain the original artefacts acquired or deposited into our care as a ground truth representation of the content for future, currently unknown, preservation and access scenarios
7. We maintain Preservation Master copies of collection content in our long term repository, so that the format-based risks of preservation over time are minimised
8. We maintain and implement preservation plans for our digital collections, so that preservation actions are reliable and based on a holistic understanding of the collections and their context
9. We implement comprehensive end-to-end workflows, so that we may consistently manage and preserve our digital collections across the entire lifecycle
10. We regularly monitor our digital collection content for emergent preservation risks, so that we may mitigate against them
11. We integrate quality assurance checks into the lifecycle where appropriate, so that the authenticity and integrity of the content is maintained

These Principles are the first output of a workstream dedicated to defining the Library’s digital preservation standards, which will help ensure the strategic priorities are met. Other activities include:

• collection profiling: provide top level descriptions and preservation direction for different types of digital collections
• risk and preservation condition assessment: for content temporarily stored outside of our long term digital repository
• file format assessment: define preferred preservation formats for different types of content
• tool assessment: evaluate the performance of different tools on library content so that evidence-based recommendations can be made on which tools to use in which context
• training: ensure colleagues across the library are aware of digital preservation responsibilities, requirements, and recommendations relevant whilst content is in their care

Digital Preservation Matters.

 

These principles define at a very high level how we as a Library will approach the preservation of our digital collections:

1. We integrate curatorial assessments of our digital collection content into preservation decisions, so that technical activities support curatorial requirements for the collections
2. We preserve metadata about our digital collections, so that we may understand and preserve the collections over time
3. We preserve the provenance of our digital collection content, so that we understand and can demonstrate its authenticity over time
4. We record any modifications to digital collection content (e.g. preservation action, normalisation) during the lifecycle, so that we can understand and demonstrate its integrity over time
5. We consistently apply and document our application of metadata standards, so that future generations can understand our collections
6. We maintain file-level integrity of our digital collections, so that we can protect against loss and damage
7. We preserve original files in our long term repository, alongside any other required representations of the content, so that we maintain the original artefacts acquired or deposited into our care as a ground truth representation of the content for future, currently unknown, preservation and access scenarios
8. We maintain Preservation Master copies of collection content in our long term repository, so that the format-based risks of preservation over time are minimised
9. We maintain and implement preservation plans for our digital collections, so that preservation actions are reliable and based on a holistic understanding of the collections and their context
10. We implement comprehensive end-to-end workflows, so that we may consistently manage and preserve our digital collections across the entire lifecycle
11. We regularly monitor our digital collection content for emergent preservation risks, so that we may mitigate against them
12. We integrate quality assurance checks into the lifecycle where appropriate, so that the authenticity and integrity of the content is maintained

These Principles are the first output of a workstream dedicated to defining the Library’s digital preservation standards. More work is already underway to define the policies that will be associated with each principle and, in turn, the resulting requirements for meeting that policy. This workstream is part of a larger programme of work being undertaken in digital preservation to ensure our strategic priorities are met. Other activities include:
• a collection profiling exercise to provide top level descriptions and preservation direction for different types of digital collections (eg e-theses, web archives, ebooks, AV material etc)
• a risk and preservation condition assessment exercise for content temporarily stored outside of our long term digital repository
• a file format assessment exercise to define preferred preservation formats for different types of content
• a tool assessment exercise to evaluate the performance of different tools on library content so that evidence-based recommendations can be made on which tools to use in which context
• a training programme to ensure colleagues across the library are aware of digital preservation responsibilities, requirements, and recommendations relevant whilst content is in their care
- See more at: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/collectioncare/2013/09/the-twelve-principles-of-digital-preservation.html#sthash.y4lgHR40.dpuf

These principles define at a very high level how we as a Library will approach the preservation of our digital collections:

1. We integrate curatorial assessments of our digital collection content into preservation decisions, so that technical activities support curatorial requirements for the collections
2. We preserve metadata about our digital collections, so that we may understand and preserve the collections over time
3. We preserve the provenance of our digital collection content, so that we understand and can demonstrate its authenticity over time
4. We record any modifications to digital collection content (e.g. preservation action, normalisation) during the lifecycle, so that we can understand and demonstrate its integrity over time
5. We consistently apply and document our application of metadata standards, so that future generations can understand our collections
6. We maintain file-level integrity of our digital collections, so that we can protect against loss and damage
7. We preserve original files in our long term repository, alongside any other required representations of the content, so that we maintain the original artefacts acquired or deposited into our care as a ground truth representation of the content for future, currently unknown, preservation and access scenarios
8. We maintain Preservation Master copies of collection content in our long term repository, so that the format-based risks of preservation over time are minimised
9. We maintain and implement preservation plans for our digital collections, so that preservation actions are reliable and based on a holistic understanding of the collections and their context
10. We implement comprehensive end-to-end workflows, so that we may consistently manage and preserve our digital collections across the entire lifecycle
11. We regularly monitor our digital collection content for emergent preservation risks, so that we may mitigate against them
12. We integrate quality assurance checks into the lifecycle where appropriate, so that the authenticity and integrity of the content is maintained

These Principles are the first output of a workstream dedicated to defining the Library’s digital preservation standards. More work is already underway to define the policies that will be associated with each principle and, in turn, the resulting requirements for meeting that policy. This workstream is part of a larger programme of work being undertaken in digital preservation to ensure our strategic priorities are met. Other activities include:
• a collection profiling exercise to provide top level descriptions and preservation direction for different types of digital collections (eg e-theses, web archives, ebooks, AV material etc)
• a risk and preservation condition assessment exercise for content temporarily stored outside of our long term digital repository
• a file format assessment exercise to define preferred preservation formats for different types of content
• a tool assessment exercise to evaluate the performance of different tools on library content so that evidence-based recommendations can be made on which tools to use in which context
• a training programme to ensure colleagues across the library are aware of digital preservation responsibilities, requirements, and recommendations relevant whilst content is in their care
- See more at: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/collectioncare/2013/09/the-twelve-principles-of-digital-preservation.html#sthash.y4lgHR40.dpuf